Your lawyer is here
Many television shows give us a look at how the world’s courts work. They actually only involve four characters. The guilty, or rather the presumed guilty, because you are innocent until proven guilty.
Then there is the prosecutor, usually the state. This person stands up for justice and must prove that the defendant is really guilty. The judge is the one who must finally decide if the charges against the defendant have been proven or not.
And then there is the lawyer. In TV series, viewers are usually presented with a lot of confidence. I believe it takes an outgoing personality to give it their all for a defendant to walk out of the courtroom free, guilty or not.
That is exactly what Jesus does for all his friends and family in the courts of heaven. And the one truth above all else is that all of his clients are guilty. Each and every one of the charges brought by the prosecutor, or to put it in biblical terms, the law of God, against the defendant, are true.
All these cases agree that the defendants, who are us, are guilty and, therefore, deserve eternal fire. But then the lawyer, Jesus, gets up and walks over to the bench where the Supreme Judge, God, is sitting.
He does not say anything. He shrugs, raises his arms halfway up, palms out, as if to say: “Yes! It’s all true!” But then the judge sees the holes in the prosecutor’s hands and knows that the prosecutor has already paid the penalty for the defendant.
Saying nothing more, the judge picks up the gravel, hits the bench, and says quietly, “Not guilty!” Everyone applauds, hugs, laughs and cries, because the grace of God and the death of Jesus on the cross are more than enough.
25He is there from now until eternity to save all who come to God through him, always working to speak for them.
Wow, how can we who believe in Jesus not wait for this to happen? How wonderful it will be to hear that gravel hit the bench and hear God say to you, “Not guilty!”
And you should not be afraid that Jesus will retire from being your lawyer and that when you get to the courtroom, you will have to settle for a priest or prophet second in charge. Jesus will be there forever and ever, for all eternity, to defend every friend, every brother and every sister who believes in Him.
How lucky are we who believe in Him!
So, go and live in the world. Go tell everyone that you, being one of the biggest sinners, have a lawyer who wins every case you take.
Holy Scripture
Hebrews 7:1-25
Reflection
How do you feel about your lawyer?
Do you think He will plead your case?
So how do you go and live differently?
Prayer
Jesus, thank you for taking my case. Thank you because I can know with everything in me that you wait for me in the heavenly courts. Thank you because I can already know what the verdict will be. Let me live that in the world now. Amen.